Sri Lanka news and archive

How the energy crisis is affecting garment manufacturing hubs

The garment industry is currently navigating a crisis that is less about fashion trends and more about basic survival. As of mid-March 2026, the energy arteries that feed manufacturing hubs in South Asia have all but collapsed under the weight of the West Asia conflict. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has turned a steady stream of industrial...

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UK government introduces new trade measures for developing countries

The UK government has introduced new measures that intend to simplify imports from developing countries. The changes come under the Developing Countries Trading Scheme and, according to a press release, aim to “lower prices on everyday goods while supporting growth in some of the world’s poorest nations”. The measures particularly address...

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Sri Lankan garment exports rise by 23 percent in 2021

While the garment exports of Sri Lanka increased by 25.7 percent in 2021 from 3.939 billion US dollars in 2020, the garment export volume of the South Asian nation narrowly missed the 5-billion-US-dollar mark by reaching 4.951 billion US dollars in 2021, according to the “External Sector Performance” report for December 2021 published by the...

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Sri Lanka: new union-employer agreement addresses key worker rights issues

Garment worker unions in Sri Lanka have signed a ground-breaking agreement with employer association Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) on Monday, in which both parties reached an understanding about how to address vital workplace issues for garment workers, especially during the pandemic. Sri Lankan unions and workers groups have been...

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Video: ASOS' Anders Holch Povlsen's three Children Killed In Sri Lanka

Danish fashion mogul Anders Holch Povlsen lost three of his four children in Sunday's Sri Lanka bombing attacks that killed more than 290 people and left more than 500 injured. See the gut-wrenching final photos posted to his daughter's Instagram account before the attack happened during their family vacation. Source: Access, YouTube.

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Can Sri Lanka benefit as apparel companies leave China?

In view of rising wages of garment workers in China and thus apparel companies leaving and investing in other countries, could Sri Lanka's garment industry scoop up some of China's business? This was one of the questions posed at the Sri Lanka Economic Forum 2016, which took place on January 7 and 8 in Colombo. “China is still about a third of...

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Sri Lanka: textile & garment exports grow to almost 5 billion USD

Sri Lankan textile and garment exports increased in 2014 by 9.4 percent, reaching a volume of 4.929 billion US dollars, compared to 4.508 billion US dollars in 2013. This is according to recent data released from the Economics Research Department of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. The textile and garment industry is a promising sector for the...

Apparel

Sourcing countries to watch: Sri Lanka and Turkmenistan up their ante

While some speak (a bit hastily) of the Bangladesh bubble having finally burst, others are ready to push into any available gaps that this rupture or leak may open. Sri Lanka and Turkmenistan are two such countries just waiting to prove what they can do in terms of textile and apparel production. Taking advantage of its strategic location in...